INDEPENDENCE, Ohio -- Byron Scott's days of trying to turn around the Cavaliers are done. He was
fired roday following a third straight losing season with Cleveland, an 82-game rollercoaster that
included injuries, blown leads and a dismal final few weeks.

Scott went 64-166 in his three years with the Cavs, who were weakened by injuries this season
but also showed little progress under him. Scott was informed he would not be coming back a day
after Cleveland closed the frustrating season with its sixth straight loss to finish 24-58 - the
NBA's third-worst record.

Scott leaves with one season left on his contract. The Cavs picked up his option for 2014 in
October.

The Cavs' three seasons under Scott were among the worst in franchise history. He isn't
solely to blame, but his young team in 2013 seemed to tune him out down the stretch, leaving owner
Dan Gilbert no choice but to make a coaching change for the second time in four years.

"I wish Byron Scott and his entire family the best going forward," Gilbert said in a release.
"Byron is a class guy, both on and off the court, and I thank him for his three years of coaching
the Cavaliers. I fully support the difficult move that was made today. Although we saw progress
with young individual player development, we did not see the kind of progress we expected on the
team level this past season.

"We understand it was challenging with the injuries, but when you are at our stage in the
building process, you don't only measure team progress in wins and losses."

The Cavs said that general manager Chris Grant will immediately begin a search for find a
replacement for Scott, who was hired in 2010 - shortly before superstar LeBron James left.

The team did make some history with Scott during the 2012-13 season, but none the Cavs want
to be remembered for.

They lost four games in which they led by at least 20 points, becoming the only team to do
that in at least the past 10 years, according to STATS LLC. One of those four losses - on March 20
at home against James and the Miami Heat - might have sealed Scott's fate.

Leading the NBA's defending champions by 27 points, the Cavs collapsed and lost 98-95. Scott
was harshly criticized following the game, not only for some his substitution patterns but for not
calling a timeout during a pivotal stretch in the second half to slow Miami's charge.

The Cavs lost 16 of their final 18 games for Scott.

There wasn't much he could do about his team's inexperience, but Gilbert didn't think Scott
did enough to improve the Cavs or earn a fourth season to try and get them turned around. Their
defense never improved and the Cavs had a tendency to come out flat in the second half.

Scott expressed his frustration at points during the season, calling his team "soft" but to
his credit he never seemed to stop working. He previously coached in New Jersey and New Orleans,
taking both the Nets and Hornets to the playoffs. He never got close to the postseason in three
turbulent seasons with Cleveland - the post James era.

"I want to thank Chris Grant, Dan Gilbert and the Cavaliers organization for the opportunity
I had to coach this team the last three seasons," Scott said in a team release. "I am certainly
proud of the progress that many of our players have made and greatly appreciate the dedication of
my coaches and our team in our efforts to attain the success we all desired."